Tobacco desuckering composition



3,235,367 TOBACCO DESUCKERING COMPOSITION Albert Gathman, Belmar, N.J.,assignor to Esso Research and Engineering Company, a corporation ofDelaware No Drawing. Filed Aug. 27, 1962, Ser. No. 219,775 4 Claims.(Cl. 712.7)

The present invention is concerned with improved agriculturalcompositions as, for example, horticultural and crop spray oils, andwith an improved tobacco desuckering composition. In particular, theinvention is concerned with an improved agricultural composition for thedesuckering of tobacco plants and eliminates plant injury which at timesis caused by commercially available desuckering oil compositions.

The raising of fine high grade tobacco comprises a major industry in theUnited States. However, much of the labor which is required to grow thiscrop is utilized in manually breaking out the sucker buds to increasethe leaf yield and the leaf quality. Thus, all available plant nutrientsare utilized in producing large uniform leaves of high quality. In theraising of tobacco it is customary to break the main leader by hand whenthe tobacco plant begins to flower. This operation is called topping.When the topping is accomplished, the plant nutrients induce rapiddevelopment of sucker growth at the junction of the stem and each leaf.In the past, as pointed out heretofore, to obtain the largest leavespossible, the suckers have been removed manually from two to four timesin one season, which represents a very costly operation with respect tothe expenditure of manpower.

In order to reduce this expenditure of manpower, various chemicalcompositions have been proposed and used for the purpose of desuckeringtobacco plants without adversely affecting the tobacco quality. Inaccordance with the present invention, an improved chemical compositionis utilized which is very eiiective in the control of the desuckeringoperation. The composition of the present invention comprises a criticalquantity of a white oil, a petroleum sulfonate, an ether of triethyleneglycol and an alkyl amine. Thus, the present invention produces asuperior tobacco desuckering oil which has synergistic characteristics.

By the proper proportioning and the combining of selected ingredients,an emulsifiable oil is produced having desuckering properties. The oilof the present invention comprises a light colored product which isdesired by the farmers. The components utilized in the presentcomposition secure a synergistic effect which was not foreseeable.Furthermore, the oil of the present invention can be emulsified withwater having a hardness up to 600 p.p.m. The base oil of the presentinvention is a white oil having a specific gravity in the range fromabout .86 to .89, preferably in the range of from about .88 to .89, andof a Saybolt color of at least 10. The viscosity is in the range ofabout 355 to 375 SSU at 100 F. for example, 365 SSU. The pour is lessthan as, for example, in the range of about IS F. to about -50 F. Theoil passes the USP. acid test (ASTM D-565-45) as, for example, about2.5.

United States Patent 0 3,235,367 Patented Feb. 15, 1966 Othercharacteristics of a specific typical base oil of the present inventionare as follows:

TYPICAL BOILING RANGE (CALCULATED FROM 10 MM. DIS-TILLATION) F. Range,

Initi 740 700-760 0%. 883 860-900 90% 935 900-960 Final 975 960-990 Thesecond ingredient utilized in the present invention comprises apetroleum sulfonate, preferably an alkali metal petroleum sulfonate suchas a sodium petroleum sulfonate. This sulfonate is produced byconventional methods known in the art and has a molecular weight in therange of about 460 to 480. The percent sodium sulfonate ranges fromabout 61% to 65% and the specific gravity at 25 C. is in the range fromabout 1.02 to 1.05.

The third constituent comprises an ether of triethylene glycol,preferably a phenyl monoether of triethylene glycol. The fourthconstituent comprises a particular tertiary amine made by condensing thetwo amino hydrogen atoms of a primary alkyl amine, in which the alkylgroup is derived from soya oil, with ethylene oxide. The formula ispresent invention. The composition and the ranges are listed in thefollowing table:

Table I Component; V01. V01. Per- Percent cent Range The abovecomposition comprises a concentrate which is utilized to form anoil-in-water type of emulsion. The water content of the emulsion mayvary from about 20% to by volume, preferably in the range from about 40%to 60% by volume.

As pointed out heretofore, the present type of concentrate may bereadily emulsified with hard water as,

for example, with water containing up to 600 p.p.m. of hardness. Otherconcentrates now on the market are relatively difiicult to emulsify toform an oil-in-water emulsion wherein the hardness exceeds about 300p.p.m. Thus, the concentrate of the present invention may be used withwater having hardness in the range from about 300 to 600 p.p.m. ofhardness.

What is claimed is:

1. A light colored, emulsifiable concentrate comprising in combination amajor proportion of a white oil having a specific gravity of about 0.86to 0.89, a Saybolt color of at least 10, a viscosity of about 355 to 375SSU at 100, a pourpoint of and a boiling range of Within about 700-990F., about 0.01 to 0.5 volume percent of a sodium petroleum sulfonateconcentrate wherein the sulfonate has a molecular weight of about460-480- and comprises about 61-65% of said concentrate; 0.25 to 3.0volume percent of a phenyl monoetherof triethylene glycol, and about 0.5to 3.0 volume percent of a tertiary amine prepared by condensing twoamino hydrogen atoms of a primary alkyl amine in which the alkyl groupis derived from soya oil with ethylene oxide having the formulaSoya-N-bis C H O H where n is 1 to 5 and preferably 3.

2. A light colored, tobacco desuckering emulsion comprising about 20-80%water and about 80-20% by volume of the composition of claim 1.

3. A light colored, emulsifiable concentrate comprising in combination amajor proportion of white oil, having a specific gravity of about 0.86to 0.89, a Saybolt color of at least 10, a viscosity of about 355 to 375SSU at 100, a pourpoint of 0 and a boiling range of within about 700990F., about 0.10 vol. percent of a sodium petroleum sulfonate concentratewherein the sulfonate has a molecular weight of about 460-480 andcomprises about 61-65% of said concentrate; about 0.75 vol. percent of aphenyl nionoether of triethylene glycol, and about 1.25 vol. percent ofa tertiary amine prepared by condensing two amino hydrogen atoms of aprimary alkyl amine in which the alkyl group is derived from soya oilwith ethylene oxide having the formula Soya-N-bis C H O H where rz is 1to 5 and preferably 3.

4. A colored, tobacco desuckering emulsion comprising about 20-80% waterand about -20% by volume of the composition of claim 3.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,720,451 10/1955Anderson et al. 7l-2.1 2,746,853 5/1956 Yowell et al. 71 2.7 2,900,4118/1959 Harwood et al. 712.6 X 2,945,753 7/1960 Brugmann et al. 7 12.7

LEWIS GOTTS, Primary Examiner.

JULIAN S. LEVITT, Examiner.

1. A LIGHT COLORED, EMULSIFIABLE CONCENTRATE COMPRISING IN COMBINATION AMAJOR PORPORTION OF A WHITE OIL HAVING A SPECIFIC GRAVITY OF ABOUT 0.85TO 0.89, A SAYBOLT COLOR OF AT LEAST 10, A VISCOSITY OF ABOUT 355 TO 375SSU AT 100, A POURPOINT OF <0 AND A BOILING RANGE OF WITHIN ABOUT700*-990*F., ABOUT 0.01 TO 0.5 VOLUME PERCENT OF A SODIUM PETROLEUMSULFONATE CONCENTRATE WHEREIN THE SULFONATE HAS A MOLECULAR WEIGHT OFABOUT 460-480 AND COMPRISES ABOUT 61-65% OF SAID CONCENTRATE; 0.25 TO3.0 VOLUME PERCENT OF A PHENYL MONOETHER OF TRIETHYLENE GLYCOL, ANDABOUT 0.5 TO 3.0 VOLUME PERCENT OF A TERTIARY AMINE PREPARED BYCONDENSING TWO AMINO HYDROGEN ATOMS OF A PRIMARY ALKYL AMINE IN WHICHTHE ALKYL GROUP IS DERIVED FROM SOYA OIL WITH ETHYLENE OXIDE HAVING THEFORMULA